Jay's Céilidh Book - cheakamus.coms Ceilidh Book Vol 1 - BBR... · 2019-06-05 · Leaving of...

Jay's Céilidh BookVol 1 – Celtic Inspired

Black Bear Rebels LyricsEdition

Updated: June 4, 2019

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If Music be the Food of Love, Play On...

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SongsAuld Lang Syne ..................................................................................................................................................... 35Auld Triangle, The ................................................................................................................................................. 10Aunt Martha’s Sheep ............................................................................................................................................. 55Ballad Of Billy Reid, The ....................................................................................................................................... 45Barrett's Privateers ................................................................................................................................................ 50Black Velvet Band ................................................................................................................................................... 5Calton Weaver, The (Nancy Whiskey) .................................................................................................................. 44Come Out Ye Black and Tans ............................................................................................................................... 27Crawl, The ............................................................................................................................................................. 54Dark Island, The ...................................................................................................................................................... 7Dirty Old Town ....................................................................................................................................................... 49Donald, Where's Your Troosers? ............................................................................................................................. 9Fairytale of New York ............................................................................................................................................ 52Farewell to Nova Scotia ........................................................................................................................................ 21Fields of Athenry, The ........................................................................................................................................... 31Finnegan's Wake .................................................................................................................................................. 32Fisherman’s Blues ................................................................................................................................................. 58Flower of Scotland ................................................................................................................................................ 40Foggy Dew, The ...................................................................................................................................................... 8Follow Me Up To Carlow ......................................................................................................................................... 4Galway Girl ........................................................................................................................................................... 57Green Hills of Tyrol, The ....................................................................................................................................... 33Gypsy Rover ......................................................................................................................................................... 30I'll Tell Me Ma ........................................................................................................................................................ 26Irish Rover, The ..................................................................................................................................................... 48Johnny Jump Up ................................................................................................................................................... 22Leaving of Liverpool ................................................................................................................................................ 6Loch Lomond ........................................................................................................................................................ 42MacPherson's Lament .......................................................................................................................................... 36Mairi's Wedding ..................................................................................................................................................... 19Mari Mac ............................................................................................................................................................... 20Massacre of Glencoe ............................................................................................................................................ 41McAlpine's Fusiliers .............................................................................................................................................. 46Molly Malone ......................................................................................................................................................... 23Moonshiner, The ................................................................................................................................................... 29Northwest Passage ............................................................................................................................................... 51Old Dun Cow, The ................................................................................................................................................. 24Orange and The Green, The ................................................................................................................................. 17Parting Glass, The ................................................................................................................................................ 56River Driver, The ................................................................................................................................................... 59Rocky Road to Dublin ........................................................................................................................................... 18Ryans and the Pittmans, The (Rant & Roar) .........................................................................................................39Seven Drunken Nights .......................................................................................................................................... 28Shame ................................................................................................................................................................... 16Sick Note, The ...................................................................................................................................................... 15Skye Boat Song .................................................................................................................................................... 37Spanish Ladies ..................................................................................................................................................... 38Star of the County Down ....................................................................................................................................... 43Unicorn Song, The ................................................................................................................................................ 11What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor? ...........................................................................................................12Whiskey in the Jar ................................................................................................................................................. 14Wild Mountain Thyme ........................................................................................................................................... 47Wild Rover, The ..................................................................................................................................................... 13Will Ye No Come Back Again? .............................................................................................................................. 34

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Follow Me Up To Carlow

[1] Lift MacCahir Og your face brooding o'er the old disgraceThat black FitzWilliam stormed your place, drove you to the FernGrey said victory was sure soon the firebrand he'd secure;Until he met at Glenmalure with Feach MacHugh O'Byrne.

Chorus:Curse and swear Lord KildareFeagh will do what Feach will dareNow FitzWilliam, have a careFallen is your star, lowUp with halberd out with swordOn we'll go for by the lordFeach MacHugh has given the word,Follow me up to Carlow.

[2] See the swords of Glen Imayle, flashing o'er the English PaleSee all the children of the Gael, beneath O'Byrne's bannersRooster of the fighting stock, would you let a Saxon cockCrow out upon an Irish rock, fly up and teach him manners.

Chorus

[3] From Tassagart to Clonmore, there flows a stream of Saxon goreOch, great is Rory Og O'Moore, sending the loons to Hades.White is sick and Lane is fled, now for black FitzWilliam's headWe'll send it over, dripping red, to Queen Liza and the ladies.

Chorus (twice)

Background: Irish folk song celebrating the defeat of over 800 English soldiers by Fiach (Feach) MacHugh O'Byrne at the Battle of Glenmalure.

In 1577 O'Byrne gave support to his brother-in-law, Rory Og O'Moore, in a failed rebellion in which O'Moore and most of his family were killed. Under the apaprent protection of Gerald FitzGerald, the 11th Earl of Kildare, O'Byrne conducted numerous raids against the English in the Pale (the region surrounding Dublin).

In August 1580 Arthur Grey, the 14th Baron Grey de Wilton, son of William Grey (thus fitzWilliam) and Lord Deputy of Ireland to Queen Elizabeth I (Liza), arrived with 6,000 newly recruited troops and decided to put an endto the raids. Ignoring certain veterans who implored him to delay the campaign, he planned to enter Glenmalure in the Wiklow Mountains south of Dublin from the neighbouring Glen of Imayle and attack O'Byrne's stronghold. While trying to climb the steep slopes of the valley, the inexperienced English soldiers were ambushed an slaughtered by the Irish rebels.

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Black Velvet Band

[1] In a neat little town they call BelfastApprenticed in trade I was boundAnd many's the hour of sweet happinessI spent in that neat little townTill bad misfortune befell meThat caused me to stray from the landFar away from my friends and relationsTo follow the black velvet band

Chorus:Her eyes they shone like a diamondYou'd think she was queen of the landAnd her hair hung over her shoulderTied up with a black velvet band

[2] As I was out strolling down broadwayNot intending to go very farI met with a frolicksome damselApplying her trade in a barWell a watch she took from a customerAnd she slipped it right into my handThen the Watch came and put me in prisonBad luck to the black velvet band

Chorus

[3] Before judge and jury next morningFor our trial I had to appearThe judge, he said, "My young fellow,The case against you is quite clear.Well seven years is your sentence.You're going to Van Dieman's Land.Far away from your friends and relationsTo follow the black velvet band."

Chorus

[4] So come all you jolly young fellowsI'd have you take warning by meWhenever you're out on the liquorBeware of the pretty colleenFor she'll fill you with whiskey and porterUntil you're not able to standAnd the very next thing that you noticeYou've landed in Van Dieman's Land

Chorus

Background: Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by Europeans for the island of Tasmania, which the British colonized as a penal colony in 1803.

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Leaving of Liverpool

[1] Farewell to you my own true love,I am going far, far away,I am bound for California,And I know that I'll return some day.

Chorus:So fare thee well my own true love,When I return united we will be,It's not the leaving of Liverpool that grieves me,But my darling when I think of thee.

[2] I have slipped on board a Yankee shipDavey Crockett is her name,And her captain it is Burgess,And they say that she's a floating hell.

Chorus

[3] I have sailed with Burgess once before,And I think I know him well,If a man's a sailor he will get along,If not then he's sure for hell.

Chorus

[4] Oh the sun is in the harbour love,And I wish I could remain,For I know it will be a long, long time,Before I see you again.

Chorus (twice)

Background: An Anglo - Irish folk ballad. For Irish immigrants, Liverpool was the natural point of embarkation because it had the necessary shipping lines and a choice of destinations and infrastructure, including special emigration trains directly to The Princes Landing Stage.

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The Dark Island

[1] Away to the westward I'm longing to be,Where the beauties of heaven unfold by the sea,Where the sweet purple heather blooms fragrant and free,On a hilltop high above the Dark Island.

Chorus:Oh, isle of my childhood, I'm dreaming of thee,As the steamer leaves Oban and passes Tiree,Soon I'll capture the magic that lingers for me,When I'm back once more upon the Dark Island.

[2] So gentle the sea breeze that ripples the bay,Where the stream joins the ocean, and young children play;On the strand of pure silver, I'll welcome each day,And I'll roam for ever more the Dark Island.

Chorus

[3] True gem of the Hebrides, bathed in the lightOf the midsummer dawning that follows the nightHow I yearn for the cries of the seagulls in flight.As they circle high above the Dark Island

Chorus

Background: Originally composed in the 1930s by Allan MacCormack of Benbecula as a pipe lament for a local doctor under the title Dr. MacAuley's Farewell to Creagorry, the tune was copyrighted by and often attributed to Iain MacLachlan, the MacCormack's neighbour. It achieved widespread popularity after it was used by the BBC as the theme music for the TV series 'The Dark Island' filmed on South Uist in 1963. Words were added by the writer and producer David Silver and since then the tune has been recorded by more than a 100 different artists and bands worldwide.

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The Foggy Dew

[1] 'Twas down the glen one Easter mornTo a city fair rode I.When armed line of marching menIn squadrons passed me by.No pipes did hum, no battle drumDid sound its loud tattooBut the Angelus bell o'er the Liffey's swellRang out in the foggy dew.

[2] Right proudly high over Dublin townThey hung out a flag of war.'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish skyThan at Suvla or Sud el Bar.And from the plains of Royal MeathStrong men came hurrying through;While Brittania's huns with their great big gunsSailed in through the foggy dew.

[3] O' the night fell black and the rifles' crackMade "Perfidious Albion" reel'Mid the leaden rail, seven tongues of flame Did shine o'er the lines of steel.By each shining blade a prayer was saidThat to Ireland her sons be true,And when morning broke still the war flag shookOut its fold in the foggy dew

[4] 'Twas England bade our wild geese goThat small nations might be free.But their lonely graves are by Suvla's wavesOn the fringe of the gray North Sea.But had they died by Pearse's sideOr fought with Cathal Brugha,Their names we'd keep where the Fenians sleep'Neath the shroud of the foggy dew.

[5] The bravest fell, and the solemn bellRang mournfully and clearFor those who died that WatertideIn the springing of the year.And the world did gaze with deep amazeAt those fearless men, but fewWho bore the fight that freedom's lightMight shine through the foggy dew.

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[6] Ah, back through the glen I rode againand my heart with grief was soreFor I parted then with valiant menwhom I never shall see more.But to and fro in my dreams I go andI'd kneel and pray for you,For slavery fled, O glorious dead, whenyou fell in the foggy dew.

Background: This song, attributed to Peadar Kearney (who also wrote “Amhrán na bhFiann” (“Soldier's Song”), the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland) and to Canon Charles O’Neill, chronicles the Easter Uprising of 1916. It encourages Irishmen to fight for the cause of Ireland, rather than for the British, as so many young men were doing in World War I.

Donald, Where's Your Troosers?

[1] I just down from the Isle of SkyeI'm no very big but I'm awful shyAll the lassies shout as I walk by,"Donald, Where's Your Troosers?"

Chorus:Let the wind blow high and the wind blow lowThrough the streets in my kilt I goAll the lassies cry, "Hello!Donald, where's your troosers?"

[2] I went to a fancy ballIt was slippery in the hallI was afeared that I may fall'Cause I nay had on troosers

Chorus

[3] I went down to London townTo have a little fun in the undergroundAll the Ladies turned their heads around, saying,"Donald, where's your troosers?"

Chorus

[4] The lassies love me every oneBut they must catch me if they canYou canna put the breeks on a highland man, saying,"Donald, where's your troosers?"

Chorus

Background: "Brakes" are Scottish name for trousers or pants. And of course, this song is a humorous commentary on the kilts that the Scottish wear.

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The Auld Triangle

[1] A hungry feeling, came o're me stealing, And the mice were squealing in my prison cell,

And the auld triangle, went jingle jangle,All along the banks of the Royal Canal.

[2] To start the morning, the warden bawling,Get you bousy and clean out your prison cell,


[3] Oh the screw was peeping, and the loike was sleeping,As he lay weeping for his girl Sal.


[4] On a fine spring evening, the loike lay dreaming,And the seagulls were wheeling, high above the wall,


[5] Oh the wind was sighing, and the day was dying,As the loike lay crying, in his prison cell,


[6] In the woman's prison there are seventy women,And I wish it was with them, that I did dwell.


Background: "The Auld Triangle" is a song, which was first performed publicly as a part of the play The Quare Fellow (1954) by Brendan Behan. The song is rumoured to have been written by Brendan's brother Dominic Behan, but Dominic never credited the song to himself on any recordings he made of it. Brendan himself always credited his friend Dicky Shannon as the writer.

The song is used to introduce the play, a story about the occurrences in a prison (in real life Mountjoy Prison where Behan had once been lodged) the day a convict is set to be executed. The triangle in the title refers to the large metal triangle which was beaten daily in Mountjoy Prison to waken the inmates ("The Auld Triangle goes Jingle Jangle"). The triangle still hangs in the prison at the centre where the wings meet on a metal gate. It is no longer used, though the hammer to beat it is mounted beside it.

"This was a scientific system of perpetual and persistent harassing… harassing morning, noon and night, and on through the night, harassing always and at all times, harassing with bread and water punishments, and other punishments with ‘no sleep’ torture and other tortures. This system was applied to the Irish prisoners and, to themonly, and was specially designed to destroy us mentally or physically – to kill or drive insane." Thus triangles we employed to cause insanity.

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The Unicorn Song

[1] A long time ago, when the Earth was greenThere was more kinds of animals than you've ever seenThey'd run around free while the Earth was being bornAnd the loveliest of all was the unicorn

There was green alligators and longnecked geeseSome humpty backed camels and some chimpanzeesSome cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're bornThe loveliest of all was the unicorn

[2] Now the Lord saw some sinning and it gave Him great painAnd He says, "Stand back, I'm going to make it rain"He says, "Hey Brother Noah, I'll tell you what to doBuild me a floating zoo,and take some of those...

Green alligators and longnecked geeseSome humpty backed camels and some chimpanzeesSome cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're bornDon't you forget my unicorns

[3] Old Noah was there to answer the callHe finished building the ark just as the rain started to fallHe marched in the animals two by twoAnd he called out as they came throughHey Lord,

I've got your green alligators and longnecked geeseSome humpty backed camels and some chimpanzeesSome cats and rats and elephants, but Lord, I'm so forlornI can't seem to find no unicorns"

[4] And Noah looked out through the driving rainThem unicorns were hiding, playing silly gamesKicking and splashing while the rain was fallingOh, them silly unicorns

There was green alligators and longnecked geeseSome humpty backed camels and some chimpanzeesNoah cried, "Close the door because the rain is pouring inAnd we just can't wait for no unicorns"

[5] The ark started floating, it drifted with the tideThe unicorns looked up from the rocks and they criedAnd the waters came down and sort of floated them awayAnd that's why you'll never see a unicorn to this very day

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But you'll see green alligators and longnecked geeseSome humpty backed camels and some chimpanzeesSome cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're bornYou're never gonna see no unicorns

Background: Written by children's author Shel Silverstein, this song was popularized by the Irish Rovers

What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?

[1] What shall we do with a drunken sailor,What shall we do with a drunken sailor,What shall we do with a drunken sailor,Earlaye in the morning?

Chorus: Way hay and up she risesWay hay and up she risesWay hay and up she risesEarlaye in the morning

[2] Put him in the long boat till he's sober,

[3] Keep him in the longboat and make 'im bale 'er.

[4] Pull out the bung and wet him all over

[5] Put him in the scuppers with a hawsepipe on him

[6] Heave him by the leg in a running bowline

[7] Spray him with whiskey and light him on fire

[8] Shave his belly with a rusty razor

[9] Take him and shake him and try to wake him

[10]Give 'im a dose of salt and water

[11]Hit 'im on the head with a broken hammer

[12]Tie him to the taffrail when she’s yardarm under

[13]Put him in charge of an Exxon tanker

[14]Put him into bed with the captain's daughter

[15]You've never seen the captain's daughter

[16]Slap him all around and call him Suzie

[17]Put him in his bunk with his pants on backwards

[18]Shove a big lobster down his britches.

[19]That’s what we’ll do with a drunken sailor12

The Wild Rover

[1] I've been a wild rover for many a yearAnd I've spent all me money on whiskey and beerBut now I'm returning with gold in great storeAnd I never will play the wild rover no more

Chorus:And it's no nay neverno nay never no moreWill I play the wild roverno never no more

[2] I went into an alehouse I used to frequentAnd I told the landlady me money was spentI asked her for credit, she answered me 'NaySuch a custom as yours I can get any day

Chorus

[3] I took from my pocket ten sovereigns brightAnd the landlady's eyes opened wide with delightShe said I have whiskey and wines of the bestAnd the words that I spoke were only in jest

Chorus

[4] I'll go home to my parents confess what I've doneAnd I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal sonAnd when they forgive me as oft times beforeSure I never will play the wild rover no more

Chorus (twice)

Background: A popular Irish ballad. The song is generally recognized as a traditional Irish drinking song, though like many Irish folk songs it also became very popular in Scotland and England. In Britain, the song is especially popular with sport fans and has been adopted as the basis for many football chants.

The song is a staple for artists performing live music in Irish pubs. When performed live in a pub setting, or for an audience, it is a custom for the participants to bang on the table or clap their hands in cadence four times during the break in the chorus, thus: And it's no, nay, never (clap - clap - clap - clap) no, nay, never, no more...

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Whiskey in the Jar

[1] As I was riding over the far famed and Kerry Mountains,I met with Captain Farrel and his money he was countin',I first produced my pistol and I then produced my rapier,Said Stand and deliver for I am a bold deceiver

Chorus:Musha ring dumma doo dumma a da,Whack fol de daddy o,Whack fol de daddy oThere's whiskey in the jar.

[2] I counted out his money and it made a pretty penny,I put it in my pocket and I took it home to Jenny,She sighed, and she swore that she never would deceive me,But the devil takes the women for they never can be easy.

Chorus

[3] I went into my chamber all for to take a slumber,I dreamt of gold and jewels and for sure it was no wonder,But Jenny drew my charges and she filled them out with water,Then sent for Captain Farrel, to be ready for the slaughter.

Chorus

[4] 'Twas early in the morning just before I rose to travel,Up comes a band of footmen and likewise, Captain Farrel,I first produced my pistol for she stole away my rapier,But I couldn't shoot the water, so a prisoner I was taken.

Chorus

[5] If anyone can aid me 'tis my brother in the army,If I can find his station, in Cork or in Killarney,And if he'll go with me we'll go roving in Kilkenny,And I'm sure he'll treat me better than my darling sporting Jenny.

Chorus

[6] Now some men take delight in the drinking and the rovingBut others take delight in the gambling and the smokingBut I take delight in the juice of the barleyAnd courting pretty fair maids in the morning bright and early

Chorus

Background: A famous Irish traditional song about a highwayman (usually in the Cork and Kerry mountains), who is betrayed by his wife or lover. The song's exact origins are lost in the mists of history. Judging from the mention of a rapier it is likely that the lyrics date back to at least the late eighteenth century

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The Sick Note

[1] Dear Sir I write this note to you to tell you of my plightFor at the time of writing I am not a pretty sightMy body is all black and blue, my face a deathly greyAnd I write this note to say why Paddy's not at work today

[2] Whilst working on the fourteenth floor, some bricks I had to clearTo throw them down from such a height was not a good ideaThe foreman wasn't very pleased, the bloody arkward sodAnd he said I had to cart them down the ladders in me hod

[3] Now clearing all these bricks by hand it was so very slowSo I hoisted up a barrel and secured the rope belowBut in me haste to do the job, I was to blind to seeThat a barrel full of building bricks was heavier than me

[4] And so when I untied the rope, the barrel fell like leadAnd clinging tightly to the rope I started up insteadI shot up like a rocket till to my dismay I foundThat half way up I met the bloody barrel coming down

[5] Well the barrel broke me shoulder, as to the ground it spedAnd when I reached the top I banged the pulley with my headI clung on tightly, numb with shock, from this almighty blowAnd the barrel spilled out half the bricks, fourteen floors below

[6] Now when these bricks had fallen from the barrel to the floorI then outweighed the barrel and so started down once moreStill clinging tightly to the rope, my body racked with painWhen half way down, I met the bloody barrel once again

[7] The force of this collision half way up the office blockCaused multiple abrasions and a nasty state of shockStill clinging tightly to the rope I fell towards the groundAnd I landed on the broken bricks the barrel scattered round.

[8] I lay there groaning on the ground, I thought I'd passed the worstBut the barrel hit the pulley wheel, and then the bottom burstA shower of bricks rained down on me, I hadn't got a hopeAs I lay there bleeding on the ground, I let go the bloody rope

[9] The barrel being heavier then started down once moreAnd landed right across me as I lay upon the floorIt broke three ribs, and my left arm, and I can only sayI hope you`ll understand why Paddy's not at work today

Background: In 1969 Pat Cooksey wrote this comedy classic and it quickly became a big hit in English and Scottish folk clubs. This song, under a variety of different titles, has since become one of the most widely recorded and popular contemporary folk songs worldwide.

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Shame

[1] Well I'm standing alone at the cornerI've got nothing but you on my mindI'm trying to remember what you look likeBut all I see is your big fat behindAnd I say la la la la la la laLa la la la la la laaaa

Chorus:I got you, you're acting all the sameI think it's such a shameYou're putting all the blame on meI got you, you're driving me insaneI think it's such a shameYou're putting all the blame on meIt's such a shame, it's such a shame

[2] I still remember well the day you left meYou packed up all your stuff and left in tearsI should have cried you know I tried so help meBut instead I filled the fridge up with more beerAnd it never mattered how I tried to please youAnd all the times I tried to treat you rightBut you really put a stop to all my sleepingWhen you said that Mrs Bobbit had it rightAnd I say la la la la la la laLa la la la la la laaaa

Chorus:I got you, you're acting all the sameI think it's such a shameYou're putting all the blame on meI got you, you're driving me insaneI think it's such a shameYou're putting all the blame on meIt's such a shame, it's such a shame, it's such a shame

Background: A song by the Young Dubliners that I really like. Keith always has fun with this one.

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The Orange and The Green

Chorus:Oh, it is the biggest mixup that you have ever seen.My father, he was Orange and me mother, she was green.

[1] My father was an Ulster man, proud Protestant was he.My mother was a Catholic girl, from county Cork was she.They were married in two churches, lived happily enough,Until the day that I was born and things got rather rough.

Chorus

[2] Baptized by Father Riley, I was rushed away by car,To be made a little Orangeman, my father's shining star.I was christened "David Anthony," but still, inspite of that,To me father, I was William, while my mother called me Pat.

Chorus

[3] With Mother every Sunday, to Mass I'd proudly stroll.Then after that, the Orange lodge would try to save my soul.For both sides tried to claim me, but i was smart becauseI'd play the flute or play the harp, depending where I was.

Chorus

[4] Now when I'd sing those rebel songs, much to me mother's joy,Me father would jump up and say, "Look here would you me boy.That's quite enough of that lot", he'd then toss me a coinAnd he'd have me sing the Orange Flute or the Heros of The Boyne

Chorus

[5] One day me Ma's relations came round to visit me.Just as my father's kinfolk were all sitting down to tea.We tried to smooth things over, but they all began to fight.And me, being strictly neutral, I bashed everyone in sight.

Chorus

[6] My parents never could agree about my type of school.My learning was all done at home, that's why I'm such a fool.They've both passed on, God rest 'em, but left me caught betweenThat awful color problem of the Orange and the Green.

Chorus

17

Rocky Road to Dublin

[1] In the merry month of May, From my home I started,Left the girls of Tuam, Nearly broken hearted,Saluted father dear, Kissed me darlin' mother,Drank a pint of beer, My grief and tears to smother,Then off to reap the corn, And leave where I was born,I cut a stout blackthorn, To banish ghost and goblin,A brand new pair of brogues, I rattled o'er the bogs,And frightened all the dogs, On the rocky road to Dublin.

Chorus:One, two, three, four five,Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky roadAnd all the ways to Dublin, Whacksferoldeda

[2] In Mullingar that night, I rested limbs so weary,Started by daylight, Next mornin' light and airy,Took a drop of the pure, To keep my heart from sinkin',That's an Irishman's cure, Whene'er he's on for drinking.To see the lasses smile, Laughing all the while,At my curious style, 'Twould set your heart abubblin'.They ax'd if I was hired, The wages I required,Till I was almost tired, Of the rocky road to Dublin.

Chorus

[3] In Dublin next arrived, I thought it such a pity,To be so soon deprived, A view of that fine city.Then I took a stroll, All among the quality,My bundle it was stole, In a neat locality;Something crossed my mind, Then I looked behind;No bundle could I find, Upon my stick a wobblin'.Enquirin' for the rogue, They said my Connacht brogue,Wasn't much in vogue, On the rocky road to Dublin.

Chorus

[4] From there I got away, My spirits never failin'Landed on the quay As the ship was sailin';Captain at me roared, Said that no room had he,When I jumped aboard, A cabin found for Paddy,Down among the pigs I played some funny rigs,Danced some hearty jigs, The water round me bubblin',When off Holyhead, I wished myself was dead,Or better far instead, On the rocky road to Dublin.

Chorus

18

[5] The boys of Liverpool, When we safely landed,Called myself a fool; I could no longer stand it;Blood began to boil, Temper I was losin',Poor ould Erin's isle They began abusin',"Hurrah my soul," sez I, My shillelagh I let fly;Some Galway boys were by, Saw I was a hobble in,Then with a loud hurray, They joined in the affray.We quickly cleared the way, For the rocky road to Dublin.

Chorus

Mairi's Wedding

Chorus:Step we gaily on we go, heel for heel and toe for toeArm in arm and row in row, all for Mairi's wedding

[1] Over hillways up and down, myrtle green and bracken brownPast the sheiling through the town, all for the sake of Mairi.

Chorus

[2] Bright her cheeks as rowans are, bright her eyes as any starThe fairest of them all by far is our darling Mairi

Chorus

[3] Plenty herring, plenty meal, plenty peat to fill her creelPlenty bonny bairns as weel, that's the toast for Mairi

Chorus

[4] Over hillways up and down, myrtle green and bracken brownPast the sheiling through the town, all for the sake of Mairi.

Chorus

Background: Mairi's Wedding (also known as Marie's Wedding, the Lewis Bridal Song, or Mairi Bhan) is a Scottish folk song originally written in Gaelic by Johnny Bannerman for Mary McNiven. Written using a traditional Scots tune, it was first played for McNiven in 1935 at the Old Highlanders Institute in Glasgow's Elmbank Street. Hugh S. Roberton translated the Gaelic version into English in 1936.

A “sheiling” is a shepherd's hut or mountain pasture used in summer. “Creel” is a wicker basket.

19

Mari Mac

[1] There's a neat little lass and her name is Mari MacAnd make no mistake she's the girl I'm gonna trackLots of other fellas try to get her on the back.But I'm thinkin' they'll have to get up early.

Chorus:Mari Mac's mother's makin' Mari Mac marry meMy mother's makin' me marry Mari MacWell I'm gonna marry Mari cause Mari's takin' care o' me. We'll all be makin' marry when I marry Mari Mac.

[2] Now Mari and her mother are an awful lot togetherIn fact you hardly see the one without the otherAnd people often wonder if it's Mari or her motherOr both of them together I'm courting

Chorus

[3] Well up among the heather in the hills of BenafeeWell I had a Bonnie lass sittin' on my kneeA bumble bee stung me right above the kneeUp among the heather in the hills of Benafee

Chorus

[4] Well I said to bonnie lass how we gonna pass the dayShe said among the heather in the hills of BenafeeWhere all the boys and girls are making out so freeUp among the heather in the hills of Benafee

Chorus

[5] Wedding's on a Wednesday, everything's arrangedSoon you'll never change your mind unless you minus changeOf making the arrangements and feelings lots of rageMarriage is an awful undertaking

Chorus

[6] Sure to be a grand for grand of that a fairGonna be a fork and plate for every man that's thereAnd I'll be a bugger if I don't get my shareAll though I may be very much mistaken

Chorus

[7] There's a neat little lass and her name is Mari MacMake no mistake, she's the girl I'm gonna trackLot's of other fellas try to get her on her backBut I think they're gonna have to get up early

Chorus (several times getting faster to train wreck)20

Farewell to Nova Scotia

[1] The sun was setting in the westThe birds were singing on every treeAll nature seemed inclined for to restBut still there was no rest for me.

Chorus:Farewell to Nova Scotia, the seabound coastLet your mountains dark and dreary beFor when I am far away on the briny ocean tossedWill you ever heave a sigh and a wish for me?

[2] I grieve to leave my native landI grieve to leave my comrades allAnd my parents whom I held so dearAnd the bonnie, bonnie lassie that I do adore.

Chorus

[3] The drums they do beat and the wars do alarmThe captain calls, we must obeySo farewell, farewell to Nova Scotia's charmsFor it's early in the morning I am far, far away.

Chorus

[4] I have three brothers and they are at restTheir arms are folded on their breastBut a poor simple sailor just like meMust be tossed and driven on the dark blue sea.

Chorus

Background: Farewell to Nova Scotia" is a popular folk song from Nova Scotia of unknown authorship, collected by folklorist Helen Creighton. It is believed to have been written just prior to or during the First World War.

21

Johnny Jump Up

[1] I'll tell you a story that happened to meOne day as I went down to Cork by the seaThe sun it was hot and the day it was warm,Says I a quiet pint wouldn't do me no harm

[2] I went in and I called for a bottle of stoutSays the barman, I'm sorry, the beer is sold outTry whiskey or paddy, ten years in the woodSays I, I'll try cider, I've heard it was good.

Chorus:Oh never, Oh never, Oh never againIf I live to be a hundred or a hundred and tenI fell to the ground, I could not get upAfter drinking a quart of the Johnny Jump Up

[3] After downing the third I went out to the yardWhere I bumped into Brody, the big civic guardCome here to me boy, don't you know I'm the law?Well, I up with me fist and I shattered his jaw

[4] He fell to the ground with his knees doubled upBut it wasn't I hit him, 'twas Johnny Jump UpThe next bloke I met down in Cork by the seaWas a cripple on crutches and says he to me

[5] I'm afraid of me life I'll be hit by a carWon't you help me across to the Celtic Knot Bar?After downing a quart of that cider so sweetHe threw down his crutches and danced on his feet

Chorus

[6] I went up the lee road, a friend for to seeThey call it the madhouse in Cork by the SeaBut when I got there, sure the truth I will tell,They had this poor bugger tied up in a cell

[7] Said the guard, testing him, say these words if you can,"Around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran"Tell him I'm not crazy, tell him I'm not madIt was only a sip of that cider I had

Chorus

[8] Well, a man died in the union by the name of McNabbThey washed him and laid him outside on the slabAnd after the parlors measurements did takeHis wife brought him home to a bloody fine wake

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[9] Twas about 12 o'clock and the beer it was highThe corpse sits up and says with a sighI can't get to heaven, they won't let me upTil I bring them a quart of that Johnny Jump Up

Chorus

[10]So if ever you go down to Cork by the seaStay out of the ale house and take it from meIf you want to stay sane don't you dare take a supOf that devil drink cider called Johnny Jump Up

Chorus (twice)

Background: “Johnny Jump Up” is a mixture of cider and whiskey

There is an unconfirmed report that this was written by Tim Jordan of Cork City, Co. Cork, Ireland in the 1940s. According to Kevin Manly, Tim Jordan was born and lived all his life in Cork city. The story behind the song was his friend was a landlord of a pub and he asked Tim to write a song about cider and to sing it in his bar to try to increase the sale of cider in his pub.

Another report states the song was probably written in the 1920s or 30s. According to Jimmy Crowley, "'Because of the general shortage of materials during the first World War cider was stored in casks which had been used for maturing whiskey. The cider drew the spirit from the wood and the result was 'Johnny', a cider so potent, as the song tells us, that it was a sure ticket to heaven. 'Up the Lee Road' implies much more than it says to Cork people, as the Mental Hospital is situated up there."

Molly Malone

[1] In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty,I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone.As she wheeled her wheelbarrow through the streets broad and narrowCrying 'Cockles and Mussels, alive, alive, oh'.

Chorus:'Alive, alive, oh, alive, alive, oh,Crying 'Cockles and Mussels,Alive, alive, oh. (repeat)

[2] She was a fishmonger, but sure t'was no wonder,For so were her father and mother before.And they both wheeled their barrow through the streets wide and narrow,Crying 'Cockles and Mussels, alive, alive, oh'.

Chorus

[3] She died of a fever, and no one could save herAnd that was the end of sweet Molly Malone.Now her ghost wheels her barrow through the streets broad and narrow,Crying 'Cockles and Mussels, alive, alive, oh'.

Chorus

23

The Old Dun Cow

[1] Some friends and I in a public houseWas playing a game of chance one nightWhen into the pub a fireman ranHis face all a chalky white."What's up", says Brown, "Have you seen a ghost,Or have you seen your Aunt Mariah?""Me Aunt Mariah be buggered!", says he,"The bleedin' pub's on fire!"

Chorus:And there was Brown he was upside downLappin' up the whiskey on the floor."Booze, booze!" The firemen criedAs they came knockin' on the door (clap clap)Oh don't let 'em in till it's all drunk upAnd somebody shouted MacIntyre! (MACINTYRE!)And we all got blueblind paralytic drunkWhen the Old Dun Cow caught fire.

[2] "Oh well," says Brown, "What a bit of luck.Everybody follow me.And it's down to the cellar if the fire's not thereThen we'll have a grand old spree."So we went on down after good old BrownThe booze we could not missAnd we hadn't been there ten minutes or moreTill we were all quite pissed.

Chorus

[3] Then, Smith walked over to the port wine tubAnd gave it just a few hard knocks (clap clap)Started takin' off his pantaloonsLikewise his shoes and socks."Hold on, " says Brown, "that ain't allowedYa cannot do that thing here.Don't go washin' trousers in the port wine tubWhen we've got American beer."

Chorus

[4] Then there came through the old back doorThe Vicar of the local church.And when he saw our drunken ways,He began to scream and curse."Ah, you drunken sods! You heathen clods!You've taken to a drunken spree!You drank up all the Benedictine wineAnd you didn't save a drop for me!"

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Chorus

[5] And then there came a mighty crashHalf the bloody roof caved in.We were almost drowned in the firemen's hoseBut still we were gonna stay.So we got some tacks and some old wet sacksAnd we nailed ourselves insideAnd we sat drinking the finest RumTill we were blearyeyed.

Chorus

[6] Later that night, when the fire was outWe came up from the cellar below.Our pub was burned. Our booze was drunk.Our heads was hanging low."Oh look", says Brown with a look quite queer.Seems something raised his ire."Now we gotta get down to Murphy's Pub,It closes on the hour!"

Chorus

Background: The dun cow is a common motif in English folklore. "Dun" is a dull shade of brownish grey. There are many public houses in the United Kingdom called The Dun Cow.

25

I'll Tell Me Ma

Chorus:I'll tell me ma when I go homeThe boys won't leave the girls aloneThey pull my hair, they steal my combBut that's all right till I get homeShe is handsome, she is prettyShe is the belle of Belfast cityShe is courting one, two, threePlease, won't you tell me, who is she?

[1] Albert Mooney says he loves herAll the boys are fighting for herKnock at the door and ring the bellSaying, oh my true love, are you well?Out she comes, white as snowRings on her fingers and bells on her toesOld Johnny Morrissey says she'll dieIf she doesn't get the fellow with the roving eye

Chorus

[2] Let the wind and the rain and the hail go highSnow come tumbling from the skyShe's as nice as apple pieShe'll get a fellow by and byWhen she gets a lad of her ownShe won't tell her ma when she gets homeLet them all come as they willIt's Albert Mooney she loves still

Chorus

Background: “I'll Tell Me Ma” is a well known children's song. The chorus usually refers to Belfast city, although it is also adapted to other Irish cities, such as Dublin.

26

Come Out Ye Black and Tans

[1] I was born on a Dublin street where the Loyal drums did beatAnd the loving English feet walked all over us,And every single night when me father'd come home tightHe'd invite the neighbors outside with this chorus:

Chorus:Come out you black and tans come out and fight me like a manShow your wife how you won medals down in FlandersTell them how the IRA made you run like hell away,From the green and lovely lanes in Killeshandra.

[2] Come tell us how you slew them ol' Arabs two by twoLike the Zulus they had spears and bows and arrows,How you bravely faced each one With your sixteen pounder gunAnd you frightened them damn natives to their marrow.

Chorus

[3] Come let us hear you tell how you slandered great Parnell,When you thought him well and truly persecuted,Where are the sneers and jeers that you bravely let us hearWhen our heroes of sixteen were executed.

Chorus

[4] The day is coming fast and the time is here at last,When each yeoman will be cast aside before us,And if there be a need sure my kids wil sing, "Godspeed!"With a bar or two of Stephen Behan's chorus

Chorus

[5] The day is coming fast and it will soon be here at lastWhen North and South again belong to ErinAnd when John Bull is gone, we'll all join in this song,And the trumpets of freedom will be blarin'

Chorus

Background: Come Out Ye Black and Tans (sometimes Black and Tan) is an Irish rebel song referring to the Blackand Tans, the British paramilitary police auxiliary force in Ireland during the 1920s. The song was written by Dominic Behan as a tribute to his father Stephen, often authorship of the song is attributed to Stephen.

The lyrics are rich with references to the history of Irish nationalism and the activities of the British army throughout the world. While the title of the song refers to the Black and Tans of the War of Independence era, the specific context of the song is a dispute between Irish Republican and loyalist neighbours in inner city Dublin in the 1930s. The actual term "Black and Tan" originated from the lack of coordination of the British army with their uniforms. The troops stationed in Killeshandra wore a mix of black uniforms and tan (khaki) uniforms.

27

Seven Drunken Nights

[1] As I went home on Monday night as drunk as drunk could beI saw a horse outside the door, where my old horse should beWell I called me wife and I said to her, will you kindly tell to meWho owns that horse outside the door where my old horse should be.Ay you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool still you cannot seeThat's a lovely sow that me mother sent to meWell it's many a day I've travelled, a hundred miles or moreBut a saddle on a sow, sure I never saw before.

[2] As I went home on Tuesday night as drunk as drunk could beI saw a coat behind the door, where my old coat should beWell I called me wife and I said to her, will you kindly tell to meWho owns that coat behind the door where my old coat should be.Ay you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool still you cannot seeThat's a woollen blanket that me mother sent to meWell it's many a day I've travelled, a hundred miles or moreBut buttons on a blanket, sure I never saw before.

[3] As I went home on Wednesday night as drunk as drunk could beI saw a pipe upon the chair, where my old pipe should beWell I called me wife and I said to her, will you kindly tell to meWho owns that pipe upon the chair where my old pipe should be.Ay you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool still you cannot seeThat's a lovely tin whistle that me mother sent to meWell it's many a day I've travelled, a hundred miles or moreBut tobacco in a tin whistle, sure I never saw before.

[4] As I went home on Thursday night as drunk as drunk could beI saw two boots beneath the bed, where my old boots should beWell I called me wife and I said to her, will you kindly tell to meWho owns them boots beneath the bed where my old boots should be.Ay you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool still you cannot seeThey're two lovely geranium pots me mother sent to meWell it's many a day I've travelled, a hundred miles or moreBut laces in geranium pots, sure I never saw before.

[5] As I went home on Friday night as drunk as drunk could beI saw a head upon the bed, where my old head should beWell I called me wife and I said to her, will you kindly tell to meWho owns that head upon the bed where my old head should be.Ay you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool still you cannot seeThat's a baby boy that me mother sent to meWell it's many a day I've travelled, a hundred miles or moreBut a baby boy with his whiskers on, sure I never saw before.

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[6] And as I went home on Saturday night as drunk as drunk could beI saw two hands upon her breasts where my old hands should beWell, I called me wife and I said to her, will you kindly tell to meWho owns them hands upon your breasts where my old hands should beAh you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool still you cannot seeThat's a lovely night gown that me mother sent to meWell, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or moreBut fingers in a night gown sure I never saw before

[7] As I went home on Sunday night as drunk as drunk could beI saw a lad sneaking out the back at a quarter after three. Well, I called me wife and I said to her, will you kindly tell to me Who was that lad sneaking out the back at a quarter after three? Ah you're drunk, you're drunk you silly old fool still you cannot seeThat was just the tax man that the Queen she sent to me. Well, it's many a day I've travelled a hundred miles or more But an Englishman who can last till three I've never seen before

"Background: Seven Drunken Nights" is a humorous traditional Irish song, most famously performed by The Dubliners. Usually only five of the seven nights are sung because of the vulgar nature of the final two. As a result there have evolved many versions of the final two verses as performers make up their oen versions to fit in, someraunchier than others.

It is common to have a call and answer in the verse: “Well, I called my wife and I said to her (Men: Hey Wife! Women: Whatya want ya drunken shite?!) ”

The Moonshiner

Chorus:I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler, I'm a long way from homeAnd if you don't like me, well, leave me aloneI'll eat when I'm hungry, I'll drink when I'm dryAnd the moonshine don't kill me, I'll live til I die

[1] I've been a moonshiner for many a yearI've spent all me money on whiskey and beerI'll go to some hollow, I'll set up my stillAnd I'll make you a gallon for a ten shilling bill

Chorus

[2] I'll go to some hollow in this counterieTen gallons of wash I can go on a spreeNo women to follow, the world is all mineI love none so well as I love the moonshine

Chorus

[3] Oh, moonshine, dear moonshine, oh, how I love theeYou killed me old father, but ah you try meNow bless all moonshiners and bless all moonshineTheir breath smells as sweet as the dew on the vine

Chorus

29

Gypsy Rover

[1] A gypsy rover came over the hillDown through the valley so shady.He whistled and he sang 'til the green woods rangAnd he won the heart of a lady.

Chorus: (After every verse)AhdeedooahdeedoodahdayAhdeedooahdeedaydeeHe whistled and he sang 'til the green woods rangAnd he won the heart of a lady.

[2] She left her father's castle gate.She left her own fine lover.She left her servants and her stateTo follow her gypsy rover.

[3] She left behind her velvet gownAnd shoes of Spanish leatherThey whistled and they sang 'till the green woods rangAs they rode off together

[4] Last night, she slept on a goose feather bedWith silken sheets for coverTonight she'll sleep on the cold, cold groundBeside her gyspy lover

[5] Her father saddled up his fastest steadAnd roamed the valley all over.Sought his daughter at great speedAnd the whistlin' gypsy rover.

[6] He came at last to a mansion fineDown by the river Claydee.And there was music and there was wineFor the gypsy and his lady.

[7] "He is no gypsy, my Father," she cried"but Lord of these lands all over.And I shall stay 'til my dying daywith my whistlin' gypsy rover."

Background: The Gypsy Rover, sometimes known simply as The Whistling Gypsy, is a well-known ballad composed by Dublin songwriter, Leo Maguire. It was recorded by numerous artists.

30

The Fields of Athenry

[1] By the lonely prison wall. I heard a young girl calling.Michael, they are taking you away,for you stole Trevelyan's corn. So the young might see the morn.Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.

Chorus:Low lie, the Fields of Athenry,Where once we watched the small free birds fly.Our love was on the wing, we had dreams and songs to sing.It's so lonely 'round the fields of Athenry.

[2] By a lonely prison wall I heard a young man calling.Nothing matters Mary when you're free,Against the Famine and the Crown, I rebelled, they ran me down.Now you must raise our child with dignity.

Chorus

[3] By a lonely harbour wall She watched the last star falling.And that prison ship sailed out against the sky.Sure she'll wait and hope and pray, for her love in Botany Bay.It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry

Chorus

Background: Written in the 1970s by Pete St. John, this tune is an Irish folk ballad set during the Great Irish Famine (1845-1850) about a fictional man from near Athenry in County Galway who has been sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay, Australia, for stealing food for his starving family. It is a widely known and popular anthem for Irish sports supporters. “Trevelyan's corn" is a reference to Charles Edward Trevelyan, a senior Britishcivil servant in the administration of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in Dublin Castle, and to the "Indian corn" (maize) imported from America by the government for famine relief. The song is sometimes considered a "rebel song".

31

Finnegan's Wake

[1] Tim Finnegan lived in Walkin Street,A gentle Irishman mighty oddHe had a beautiful brogue both rich and sweet, An' to rise in the world he carried a hodYou see he'd a sort of a tipplers way but for the love for the liquor poor Tim was bornTo help him on his way each day, he'd a drop of the craythur every morn

Chorus:Whack fol the dah now dance to yer partner round the flure yer trotters shakeBend an ear to the truth they tell ye,we had lots of fun at Finnegan's Wake

[2] One morning Tim got rather full,his head felt heavy which made him shakeFell from a ladder and he broke his skull, andthey carried him home his corpse to wakeRolled him up in a nice clean sheet, and laid him out upon the bedA bottle of whiskey at his feet and a barrel of porter at his head

Chorus (after every verse)

[3] His friends assembled at the wake, and Missus Finnegan called for lunchFirst she brought in tay and cake, then pipes, tobacco and whiskey punchBiddy O'Brien began to cry, "Such a nice clean corpse, did you ever see,Tim, auvreem! O, why did you die?", "Will ye hould your gob?" said Paddy McGee

[4] Then Maggie O'Connor took up the cry, "O Biddy" says she "you're wrong, I'm sure"Biddy gave her a belt in the gob and sent her sprawling on the floorThen the war did soon engage,t'was woman to woman and man to manShillelagh law was all the rage and a row and a ruction soon began

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[5] Mickey Maloney ducked his head when a bucket of whiskey flew at himIt missed, and falling on the bed, the liquor scattered over TimNow the spirits new life gave the corpse, my joy! Tim jumped like a Trojan from the bedCryin will ye walup each girl and boy, t'underin' Jaysus, do ye think I'm dead?"

Background: Dedicated, no doubt, to the Irishman's love of funerals and whiskey, Finnegans Wake supplied the theme for James Joyce's famous novel of the same name.

The Green Hills of Tyrol

[1] There was a soldier, a Scottish soldierWho wandered far away and soldiered far awayThere was none bolder, with good broad shoulderHe's fought in many a fray, and fought and won.He'd seen the glory and told the storyOf battles glorious and deeds nefariousBut now he's sighing, his heart is cryingTo leave these green hills of Tyrol.

Chorus:Because these green hills are not highland hillsOr the island hills, they'ree not my land's hillsAnd fair as these green foreign hills may beThey are not the hills of home.

[2] And now this soldier, this Scottish soldierWho wandered far away and soldiered far awaySees leaves are falling and death is callingAnd he will fade away, in that far land.He called his piper, his trusty piperAnd bade him sound a lay... a pibroch sad to playUpon a hillside, a Scottish hillsideNot on these green hills of Tyrol.

Chorus

[3] And so this soldier, this Scottish soldierWill wander far no more and soldier far no moreAnd on a hillside, a Scottish hillsideYou'll see a piper play his soldier home.He'd seen the glory, he'd told his storyOf battles glorious and deeds victoriousThe bugles cease now, he is at peace nowFar from those green hills of Tyrol.

Chorus

33

Will Ye No Come Back Again?

[1] Bonnie Chairlie's noo awa',Safely ower the friendly main;Mony a heart will break in twa',Should he ne'er come back again.

Chorus:Will ye no come back again?Will ye no come back again?Better lo'ed ye canna be,Will ye no come back again?

[2] Ye trusted in your Hielan' men,They trusted you dear Chairlie.They kent your hidin' in the glen,Death or exile bravin'

Chorus

[3] We watched thee in the gloamin' hour,We watched thee in the mornin' grey.Tho' thirty thousand pounds they gie,O there is nane that wad betray

Chorus

[4] English bribes were all in vainTho puir and puirer we mun beSilver canna buy the heartThat beats aye for thine and thee

Chorus

[5] Sweet the laverock' s note and lang,Liltin' wildly up the glen. But aye tae me he sings ae sang,Will ye no' come back again?

Chorus

Background: After the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie at Culloden and his escape back to France, with the aid of Flora MacDonald, there were still many who hoped that he would return, some day. This song is about that sentiment, written by Carolina Oliphant (Lady Nairne) in the first half of the 19th century).

34

Auld Lang Syne

[1] Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?

Chorus:For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

[2] And surely you’ll buy your pint cup! And surely I’ll buy mine!And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

Chorus

[3] We two have run about the hills, and picked the daisies fine;But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne.

Chorus

[4] We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine (dinnertime);But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne.

Chorus

[5] And there’s a hand my trusty friend! And give us a hand o’ thine!And we’ll take a right goodwill draught, for auld lang syne.

Chorus

Background: Auld Lang Syne, a song by Robert Burns (1759-1796), is one of the better-known songs in English-speaking countries. It is often sung at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day. Like many other frequently sung songs, the melody is better remembered than the words, which are often sung incorrectly, and seldom in full.

The song's (Scots) title may be translated into English literally as 'old long since', or more idiomatically 'long ago', or 'days gone by'. In his retelling of fairy tales in the Scots language, Matthew Fitt uses the phrase “In the days of auld lang syne” as the equivalent of “Once upon a time”. In Scots Syne is pronounced like the English word sign

35

MacPherson's Lament

[1] Farewell, ye dungeons dark and strong; Farewell, farewell to thee.MacPherson's time will ne'er be lang; On yonder gallows tree.

Chorus: (after every verse)Sae rantingly, sae wontonly; Sae dauntingly gaed heHe played a tune an' he danced aroon Beneath the gallows tree.

[2] It was by a woman's treacherous hand; That I was condemned to deeBeneath a ledge at a window she stood; And a blanket she threw o'er me.

[3] Well the laird o' Grant, that highlan' sa'nt; That first laid hands on meHe played the cause on Peter Broon; To let Macpherson dee.

[4] Untie these bands from off my hands; And gie to me my swordThere's nae a man in a' Scotland; But I'll brave him at a word.

[5] There's some come here to see me hanged; And some to buy my fiddleBut before that I do part wi' her; I'll brak her thro' the middle.

[6] He took the fiddle into both his hands; And he broke it o'er a stoneSays there's nae other hand shall play on thee; When I am dead and gone.

[7] O, little did my mother think; When she first cradled meThat I would turn a rovin' boy; And die on the gallows tree.

[8] The reprive was comin' o'er the brig o' Banff; To let Macpherson freeBut they pit the clock a quarter afore ;And hanged him to a tree.

36

Skye Boat Song

Chorus:Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,Onward! the sailors cryCarry the lad that's born to be KingOver the sea to Skye.

[1] Loud the winds howl, loud the waves roar,Thunderclaps rend the air;Baffled, our foes stand by the shore,Follow they will not dare.

Chorus

[2] Though the waves leap, soft shall ye sleep,Ocean's a royal bed.Rocked in the deep, Flora will keepWatch by your weary head.

Chorus

[3] Many's the lad fought on that day,Well the Claymore could wield,When the night came, silently layDead in Culloden's field.

Chorus

[4] Burned are their homes, exile and deathScatter the loyal men;Yet ere the sword cool in the sheathCharlie will come again.

Chorus

Background: The Skye Boat Song has gained the reputation of a traditional Scottish song recalling the escape of the young pretender Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) after his defeat at Culloden in 1746: he escaped from Uist to the Isle of Skye in a small boat with the aid of Flora MacDonald. He was disguised as a serving maid. The 19th century adherents of Scottish romantic nationalism (which included sentimental Jacobitism) enlarged the anecdote to a legend.

The lyrics were written by Sir Harold Boulton, Bart. (1859 - 1935), to an air collected by Miss Annie MacLeod (Lady Wilson) in the 1870s.

37

Spanish Ladies

[1] Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies,Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of SpainFor we've received orders for to sail for ol' England,But we hope in a short while to see you again.

Chorus:We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors,We'll rant and we'll roar all on the salt sea.Until we strike soundings in the channel of old England;From Ushant to Scilly is thirty five leagues.

[2] We hove our ship to with the wind from sou'west, boysWe hove our ship to, deep soundings to take;'Twas fortyfive fathoms, with a white sandy bottom,So we squared our main yard and up channel did make.

[3] The first land we sighted was called the Dodman,Next Rame Head off Plymouth, off Portsmouth the Wight;We sailed by Beachy, by Fairlight and Dover,And then we bore up for the South Foreland light.

Chorus

[4] Then the signal was made for the grand fleet to anchor,And all in the Downs that night for to lie;Let go your shank painter, let go your cat stopper!Haul up your clewgarnets, let tacks and sheets fly!

[5] Now let ev'ry man drink off his full bumper,And let ev'ry man drink off his full glass;We'll drink and be jolly and drown melancholy,And here's to the health of each truehearted lass.

Chorus

Background: Spanish Ladies is a very old capstan sea shanty - meaning that sailors sung it around the capstan as they raised the anchor on a homeward bound voyage. It dates from a point before 1800. There are several tunes to which it is sung. The lyrics, with their mention of the 'Grand Fleet', indicate that the song originates from the British Royal Navy. Certainly, it provides a fascinating glimpse into navy life. The places that are mentioned - the Dodman, Ushant, Beachy, Dover, Fairlight - are the landmarks that homeward bound sailors would have looked out for on the last leg of their journey up the English channel.

The Ryans and the Pittmans (next song) is a popular Newfoundland song based on Ladies of Spain. It tells of theromantic entanglements of a sailor named Bob Pittman, and his desire to sail home to finally marry his "sweet Biddy". The song is also known as "We'll Rant and We'll Roar", after the first line of the chorus; however, this is also the name by which some foreign variants are known; see below.

The most famous recent version of the Ryans and the Pittmans is a shortened version recorded as Rant & Roar by Great Big Sea.

38

The Ryans and the Pittmans (Rant & Roar)

Chorus:We'll rant and we'll roar like true NewfoundlandersWe'll rant and we'll roar on deck and belowUntil we strikes bottom inside the two sunkersWhen straight through the channel to Toslow we'll go

[1] My name it is Robert, they call me Bob PittmanI sail in the Ino with Skipper Tom BrownI'm bound to have Polly or Biddy or MollyAs soon as I'm able to plank the cash down.

Chorus

[2] I'm a son of a sea cook, I'm a cook in a traderI can dance, I can sing, I can reef the main boomI can handle a jigger, I cuts a fine figureWhenever I gets in a boats standing room.

Chorus

[3] If the voyage is good, this fall I will do itI wants two pounds ten for a ring and the priestA couple of dollars for clean shirts and collarsAnd a handful of coppers to make up a feast.

Chorus

[4] I've bought me a house from Katherine DavisA twenty pound bed from Jimmy McGrathI'll get me a settle, a pot and a kettleAnd then I'll be ready for Biddy, hurrah!

Chorus

[5] Then here is a health to the girls of Fox HarbourOf Oderin and Presque, Crabbes Hole and BruleNow let ye be jolly, don't be melancholyI can't marry all or in chokey I'd be.

Chorus (twice, second a cappella)

39

Flower of Scotland

[1] O flower of ScotlandWhen will we see your like againThat fought and died forYour wee bit hill and glenAnd stood against him, proud Edward's armyAnd sent him homeward tae think again.

[2] The hills are bare nowAnd autumn leaves lie thick and stillO'er land that is lost nowWhich those so dearly heldThat stood against him, proud Edward's armyAnd sent him homeward tae think again.

[3] Those days are passed nowAnd in the past they must remainBut we can still rise nowAnd be the nation againThat stood against him, proud Edward's armyAnd sent him homeward tae think again.

[4] O flower of ScotlandWhen will we see your like againThat fought and died forYour wee bit hill and glenAnd stood against him, proud Edward's armyAnd sent him homeward tae think again.

Background: Flower of Scotland is used frequently at special occasions and sporting events. Although Scotland has no official national anthem, Flower of Scotland is one of a number of songs which unofficially fulfil this role, along with Highland Cathedral and the older Scotland the Brave. It was written by Roy Williamson of the folk group, The Corries, and presented in 1967, and refers to the victory of the Scots, led by King Robert the Bruce over the King of England, Edward II, at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.

40

Massacre of Glencoe

Chorus:Oh cruel is the snow that sweeps Glencoe And covers the grave o' Donaldcruel was the foe that raped GlencoeAnd murdered the house o' MacDonald

[1] They came through the blizzard, we offered them heatA roof ower their heads, dry shoes for their feet.We wined them and dined them, they ate of our meatAnd slept in the house o' MacDonald

Chorus

[2] They came from Fort William with murder mindThe Campbells had orders, King William had signedPut all to the sword, these words underlinedAnd leave none alive called MacDonald

Chorus

[3] They came in the night when the men were asleepThat band of Argyles, through snow soft and deep.Like murdering foxes, amongst helpless sheepThey slaughtered the house o' MacDonald

Chorus

[4] Some died in their beds at the hands of the foeSome fled in the night, and were lost in the snow.Some lived to accuse him, that struck the first blowBut gone was the house of MacDonald

Chorus (Twice)

Background: The Massacre of Glencoe occurred in Glen Coe, Scotland, in the early morning of 13 February 1692, during the era of the "Glorious Revolution" and Jacobitism. Thirty-eight MacDonalds from the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by their guests, the first and second companies of the Earl of Argyll's Regiment of Foot under the command of Robert Campbell, whom had accepted their hospitality, on the grounds that the MacDonalds had not been prompt in pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange. Another forty women and children died of exposure after their homes were burned.

Contrary to popular legend it was not the Campbells who actually perpetrated the massacre. Rather it was set in motion by John Dalrymple, Master of Stair and Lord Advocate, and Sir Thomas Livingstone, command of the forces in Scotland. The orders were signed by King William himself.

This song was composed by the Corries

41

Loch Lomond

[1] By yon bonnie banks, and by yon bonnie braesWhere the sun shines bright on Loch LomondThere me and my true love spent many happy daysOn the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.

ChorusOh, ye'll tak' the high road, and I'll tak' the low roadAnd I'll be in Scotland before yeBut me and my true love will never meet againOn the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.

[2] 'Twas there that we parted in yon shady glen,On the steep, steep side o' Ben Lomon',Where in purple hue the Hieland hills we view,An' the moon comin' out in the gloamin'.

Chorus

[3] The wee birdies sing and the wild flow'rs spring,And in sunshine the waters are sleepin';But the broken heart it kens nae second spring,Tho' the waefu' may cease frae their greetin'

Chorus

Background: Loch Lomond is a large Scottish loch located between the traditional counties of Dunbartonshire and Stirlingshire.

Loch Lomond is a traditional Scottish song. It was first published in 1841 in Vocal Melodies of Scotland and has been covered by many artisist in many styles over the years.

There are many theories about the meaning of the song. One interpretation is that it is attributed to a Jacobite Highlander who was captured after the 1745 rising while he was fleeing near Carlisle and is sentenced to die. The verse is his mournful elegy to another rebel who will not be executed. He claims that he will follow the "low road" (the spirit path through the underworld) and arrive in Scotland before his still-living comrade. The "low road"is a reference to the Celtic belief that if someone died away from his homeland then the fairies would provide a route of this name for his soul to return home.

Another interpretation is that the song is sung by the lover of a captured rebel set to be to be executed in London following a show trial. The heads of the executed rebels were then set upon pikes and exhibited in all of the towns between London and Glasgow in a procession along the "high road" (the most important road), while the relatives of the rebels walked back along the "low road" (the ordinary road traveled by peasants and commoners).

42

Star of the County Down

[1] Near to Banbridge town, in the County Down,one morning in JulyDown a boreen green came a sweet colleenand she smiled as she passed me byShe looked so neat from her two white feetto the sheen of her nutbrown hairSure the coaxing elf, I'd to shake myself,to make sure I was standing there

Chorus:From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay and from Galway to Dublin townNo maid I've seen like the brown colleen that I met in County Down

[2] As she onward sped, sure I shook my headand I gazed with a feeling quareAnd I said, says I to a passerby,who's the maid with the nutbrown hair?He smiled at me and with pride says he,that's the gem of Irelands crownShe's young Rosie McCann from the banks of the Bann,she's the star of the County Down

Chorus

[3] She'd a soft brown eye and a look so slyand a smile like the rose in JuneAnd you held each note from her lilywhite throat,as she lilted an Irish tuneAt the pattern dance you were in tranceas she tripped through a jig or reelWhen her eyes she'd roll, she would lift soulas your heart she would likely steal

Chorus

[4] At the harvest fair she'll be surely thereand I'll dress my Sunday clothesWith my shoes shon bright and my hat cocked rightfor a smile from the nutbrown RoseNo pipe I smoke, no horse I'll yoke,let my plough with the rust turns brownTill a smiling bride by my own firesidesits the star of the County Down

Chorus

Background: "Star of the County Down" is an old Irish ballad set near Banbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is sung from the point of view of a young man who chances to meet a charming lady by the name of Rosie McCann. From a brief encounter the writer's infatuation grows until he imagines wedding the girl.

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The Calton Weaver (Nancy Whiskey)

[1] I’m a weaver, a Calton weaverI am a brash and a roving bladeI have silver in my pocketsAnd I follow a roving trade

Chorus:Whiskey, whiskey, Nancy whiskeyWhiskey, whiskey, Nancy O

[2] As I walked into Glasgow cityNancy Whiskey I chanced to smellI walked in, I sat down beside herSeven long years I loved her well

Chorus

[3] The more I kissed her, the more I loved herThe more I kissed her, the more she smiledI forgot my mother's teachingNancy soon had me beguiled

Chorus

[4] I woke early in the mornin'Tae slake ma drought it was my need,I tried to rise but I was not ableNancy had me by the heid.

Chorus

[5] Now I'm going back to the Calton weavingI'll surely make them shuttles flyI'll make more at the Calton weavingThan ever I did in a roving way

Chorus

[6] So come all ye weavers, ye Calton weaversWeavers where e're ye beBeware of Whiskey, Nancy WhiskeyShe'll ruin you like she ruined me

Chorus

Background: Nancy Whisky first appeared in print in the early 1900s. Calton is a district of Glasgow which used tobe famous for its weaver's workshops. This is a warning to men, old and young.

44

The Ballad Of Billy Reid

[1] I'll sing you a song of a terrible wrong,When the flags all flew at half mast.And a man he lay dead he'd been riddled with lead,And he died on the streets of Belfast.

Chorus:All the radio said was another shot deadAnd he died with a gun in his handBut they never said why Billy Reid had to die'Cause he died to free Ireland.

[2] It happened one day when the bold IRASet out to fight for their landWith an old Thompson gun put the troops on the runAnd return to their home was their plan.

Chorus

[3] While returning the guns Billy met British HunsAnd when the fight had begunHis position was dire when his gun wouldn't fireSo he died with that old Thompson gun.

Chorus

[4] Although he lay dead he was kicked in the head,By the hair they dragged him around.But they still fear him yet, we can never forget,How brave Billy Reid stood his ground.

Chorus

[5] If you think he was right come and join in the fight,And help us to free Belfast.For the blood that he shed and although he lay dead,In our hearts his memory will last.

Chorus

Background: William “Billy” Reid was an active member of the Third Battalion Belfast Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (pIRA). On 15 May 1971 a foot patrol of the British army was ambushed in Academy Streetin the centre of Belfast by the Third Battalion Belfast Brigade. Billy Reid, aged 32, was killed in the ensuing gunfight.

45

McAlpine's Fusiliers

[1] As down the glen came McAlpine's men with their shovels slung behind them'Twas in the pub that they drank their sub and out in the spike you'll find themThey sweated blood and they washed down mud with pints and quarts of beerAnd now we're on the road again with McAlpine's Fusiliers

[2] I stripped to the skin with the Darkie Finn way down upon the Isle of GrainWith Horse Face O'Toole, we knew the rule, no money if you stopped for rain.McAlpine's God was a well filled hod, your shoulders cut to bits and seared,And woe to he who looked for tea with McAlpine's Fusiliers

[3] I remember the day that Bear O'Shea fell into a concrete stair.What Horse Face said when he saw him dead it wasn't what the rich called prayers.I'm a navvy short was the one retort that reached unto my earsWhen the going's rough then you must be tough with McAlpine's Fusiliers

[4] I've worked 'til the sweat nearly had me bet, with Russian, Czech and Pole.On shuddering jams up the hydro dams or underneath the Thames in a hole.I've grabbed it hard and I've got me cards and many a ganger's fist across me ears.If you value your life you won't join by cripes, with McAlpine's Fusiliers

Background: McAlpine's Fusiliers is a famous Irish ballad set to a traditional air, written in the early 1960s by Dominic Behan. The song relates to the mass migration of Irish labour from Ireland to England that took place prior to, after and especially during, the Second World War. The ballad's title refers to Sir Robert McAlpine, a major employer of Irish workmen.

The lyrics allude to the racism of the times that was often found in England and London – in particular when boarding houses in the area regularly advised allcomers that no Irish or Coloureds need apply. Behan saw the paradox of Britain employing more and more Irish construction workers whilst at the same time allowing abusive work practices and racism to prosper.

The song offers a satirical but on the whole accurate view of the life and work of the Irish labourers of the times and as such proved extremely popular, resonating strongly with the Irish population of London.

46

Wild Mountain Thyme

[1] Oh the summer time is comin’And the leaves are sweetly bloomin’And the wild mountain thymeGrows around the bloomin’ heatherWill you go, lassie, go?

Chorus:And we’ll all go togetherTo pull wild mountain thymeAll around the bloomin’ heatherWill you go, lassie, go?

[2] I will build my love a bowerBy yon pure crystal fountainAnd on it I will placeAll the flowers of the mountainWill you go, lassie, go?

Chorus

[3] If my true love she were goneThen I’d surely find anotherWhere the wild mountain thymeGrows around the bloomin’ heatherWill you go, lassie, go?

Chorus

[4] Oh the summer time is comin’And the leaves are sweetly bloomin’And the wild mountain thymeGrows around the bloomin’ heatherWill you go, lassie, go?

Chorus

Background: "Wild Mountain Thyme" (also known as "Purple Heather" and "Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go") is a folk song written in the 1950s by Francis McPeake, a member of a well known musical family in Belfast, Ireland, and of Scottish origin. McPeake's lyrics are a variant of the song "The Braes of Balquhither" by Scottish poet Robert Tannahill (1774–1810), a contemporary of Robert Burns. Tannahill's original song, first published in Robert Archibald Smith's Scottish Minstrel (1821–24), is about the hills (braes) around Balquhidder near Lochearnhead. Like Burns, Tannahill collected and adapted traditional songs, and "The Braes of Balquhither" may have been based on the traditional song "The Braes o' Bowhether".

47

The Irish Rover

[1] On the Fourth of July, eighteen hundred and sixWe set sail from the sweet Cobh of CorkWe were sailing away with a cargo of bricksFor the grand city hall in New York'Twas a wonderful craft, she was rigged fore and aftAnd oh, how the wild wind it drove herShe stood several blasts she had twenty seven mastsAnd they called her the Irish Rover

[2] We had one million bags of the best Sligo ragsWe had two million barrels of stoneWe had three million sides of old blind horses hidesWe had four million barrels of bonesWe had five million hogs and six million dogsSeven million barrels of porterWe had eight million bails of old nannygoats' tailsIn the hold of the Irish Rover

[3] There was awl Mickey Coote, who played hard on his fluteWhen the ladies lined up for a setHe was tootin' with skill for each sparkling quadrilleThough the dancers were fluther'd and betWith his smart witty talk he was cock of the walkAnd he rolled the dames under and overThey all knew at a glance when he took up his stanceThat he sailed in the Irish Rover

[4] There was Barney McGee from the banks of the LeeThere was Hogan from County TyroneThere was Johnny McGirk who was scared stiff of workAnd a man from Westmeath called MaloneThere was Slugger O'Toole who was drunk as a ruleAnd Fighting Bill Treacy from DoverAnd your man, Mick MacCann from the banks of the BannWas the skipper of the Irish Rover

[5] For a sailor it's always a bother in lifeIt's so lonesome by night and dayThat he longs for the shore and a charming young whoreWho will melt all his troubles awayOh, the noise and the rout swillin' poitin and stoutFor him soon the torment's overOf the love of a maid he is never afraidAn old salt from the Irish Rover

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[6] We had sailed seven years when the measles broke outAnd the ship lost its way in the fogAnd that whale of a crew was reduced down to twoJust myself and the Captain's old dogThen the ship struck a rock oh Lord what a shockThe bulkhead was turned right overIt turned nine times around and the poor old dog was drownedI'm the last of the Irish Rover

Background: "The Irish Rover" is an Irish folk song about a magnificent, though improbable, sailing ship that reaches an unfortunate end. It has been recorded by numerous artists, some of whom have made changes to thelyrics. According to the 1966 publication Walton's New Treasury of Irish Songs and Ballads 2, the song is attributed to songwriter/arranger J. M. Crofts.

Dirty Old Town

[1] I met my love, by the gas works wallDreamed a dream, by the old canalI kissed my girl, by the factory wallDirty old town, dirty old town

[2] The clouds are drifting across the moonCats are prowling on their beatSpring’s a girl from the streets at nightDirty old town, dirty old town

[3] I heard a siren from the docksSaw a train set the night on fireSmelled the spring on the smoky windDirty old town, dirty old town

[4] I'm going to make a big sharp axeShining steel tempered in the fireI'll cut you down like an old dead treeDirty old town, dirty old town

[5] I met my love, by the gas works wallDreamed a dream, by the old canalI kissed my girl, by the factory wallDirty old town, dirty old townDirty old town, dirty old town

Background: "Dirty Old Town" is an English song written by Ewan MacColl in 1949 that was made popular by TheDubliners and has been recorded by many others. The song was written about Salford, Greater Manchester, England, the city where MacColl was born and brought up. It was originally composed for an interlude to cover anawkward scene change in his 1949 play Landscape with Chimneys, set in a North of England industrial town, but with the growing popularity of folk music the song became a standard. The first verse refers to the Gasworks croft, which was a piece of open land adjacent to the Gasworks, and then speaks of the old canal, which was the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal. The line in the original version about smelling a spring on “the Salford wind” is sometimes sung as “the sulphured wind”. But in any case, most singers tend to drop the Salford reference altogether, in favour of calling the wind “smoky”.

49

Barrett's Privateers

[1] Oh, the year was Seventeen SeventyEightHow I wish I was in Sherbrooke nowA letter of marque came from the kingTo the scummiest vessel I've ever seen

Chorus (after every verse):God damn them all!I was told we'd cruise the seas for American goldWe'd fire no guns, shed no tearsNow I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier,The last of Barrett's Privateers

[2] O Elcid Barrett cried the townHow I wish I was in Sherbrooke nowFor twenty brave men all fishermen whoWould make for him the Antelope's crew

[3] The Antelope sloop was a sickening siteHow I wish I was in Sherbrooke nowShe'd list to the port and her sails in ragsAnd the cook in the scuppers with the staggers and jags

[4] On the King's birthday we put to seaHow I wish I was in Sherbrooke nowNinetyone days to Montego BayPumping like madmen all the way

[5] On the ninetysixth day we sailed againHow I wish I was in Sherbrooke nowWhen a great big Yankee hove in sightWith our cracked fourpounders we made to fight

[6] The Yankee lay low down with goldHow I wish I was in Sherbrooke nowShe was broad and fat and loose in staysBut to catch her took the Antelope two whole days

[7] Then at length she stood two cables awayHow I wish I was in Sherbrooke nowOur cracked fourpounders made awful dinBut with one fat ball the Yank stove us in

[8] The Antelope shook and pitched on her sideHow I wish I was in Sherbrooke nowBarrett was smashed like a bowl of eggsAnd the main truck carried off both me legs

50

[9] Now here I lay in my twentythird yearHow I wish I was in Sherbrooke nowIt's been six years since we sailed awayAnd I just made Halifax yesterday

Background: A song by Stan Rogers

Northwest Passage

Chorus:Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest PassageTo find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea;Tracing one warm line through a land so wide and savageAnd make a Northwest Passage to the sea.

[1] Westward from the Davis Strait 'tis there 'twas said to lieThe sea route to the Orient for which so many died;Seeking gold and glory, leaving weathered, broken bonesAnd a longforgotten lonely cairn of stones.

Chorus

[2] Three centuries thereafter, I take passage overlandIn the footsteps of brave Kelso, where his "sea of flowers" beganWatching cities rise before me, then behind me sink againThis tardiest explorer, driving hard across the plain.

Chorus

[3] And through the night, behind the wheel, the mileage clicking westI think upon Mackenzie, David Thompson and the restWho cracked the mountain ramparts and did show a path for meTo race the roaring Fraser to the sea.

Chorus

[4] How then am I so different from the first men through this way?Like them, I left a settled life, I threw it all away.To seek a Northwest Passage at the call of many menTo find there but the road back home again.

Chorus

Background: "Northwest Passage" is one of the best-known songs by Canadian musician Stan Rogers. An a cappella song, it featured Rogers alone singing the verses, with several guest vocalists harmonizing with him in the chorus.

While it recalls the history of early explorers who were trying to discover a route across Canada to the Pacific Ocean (especially Sir John Franklin, who lost his life in the quest for the Northwest Passage), its central theme is a comparison between the journeys of these past explorers and the singer's own journey to and through the same region. The singer ultimately reflects that, just as the quest for a northwest passage might be considered a fruitless one (in that a viable and navigable northwest passage was never found in the days of Franklin and his kind), a modern-day journeyer along similar paths might meet the same end. The song also references the geography of Canada, including the Fraser River ("to race the roaring Fraser to the sea") on the western coast and the Davis Strait to the east.

51

Fairytale of New York

[1] It was Christmas Eve babe in the drunk tankAn old man said to me, won't see another oneAnd then he sang a song the Rare Old Mountain Dewand I turned my face away and dreamed about you

[2] Got on a lucky one came in eighteen to oneI've got a feeling this year's for me and you So happy Christmas I love you babyI can see a better time when all our dreams come true

[3] They've got cars big as bars they've got rivers of goldBut the wind goes right through you it's no place for the oldWhen you first took my hand on a cold Christmas EveYou promised me Broadway was waiting for me

[4] You were handsome you were pretty Queen of New York CityWhen the band finished playing they howled out for moreSinatra was swinging all the drunks they were singingWe kissed on the corner then danced through the night

Chorus:The boys of the NYPD choir were singing 'Galway Bay' And the bells were ringing out for Christmas day

[5] You're a bum you're a punk you're an old slut on junkLiving there almost dead on a drip in that bedYou scum bag you maggot you cheap lousy faggotHappy Christmas your arse I pray God It's our last

Chorus

[6] I could have been someone well so could anyoneYou took my dreams from me when I first found youI kept them with me babe I put them with my ownCan't make it all alone I've built my dreams around you

Background: "Fairytale of New York" is a Christmas song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and first released as a single on 23 November 1987 by their band The Pogues, featuring singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song was written as a duet, with the Pogues' singer MacGowan taking the role of the male character and MacColl the female character. It is an Irish folk style ballad, and featured on The Pogues' 1988 album If I Should Fall from Grace with God. The song has been cited as the best Christmas song of all time in various television, radio and magazine related polls in the UK and Ireland. The single peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart when it was first released and its popularity as a Christmas song has endured: to date the song has reached the UK top twenty on eleven separate occasions since its original release in 1987, including every year since 2005, and was certified platinum for achieving one million sales in 2013. In the UK it is the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century.

52

53

The Crawl

ChorusWell we're good old boys; we come from the North ShoreDrinkers and carousers, the likes you've never seenAnd this night, by God! We'll drink 'til there was no moreFrom The Troller to The Raven with all stops in between

[1] It all began one afternoon, on the shores of AmblesideWe were sitting there quite peacefully, with the rising of the tideWhen an idea it came to mind, for to usher in the fallAnd we agreed next Friday night, we'd go out on the crawl

Chorus

[2] We planned to have a gay old time, the cash we did not spareWe left all the cars at home, and paid the taxi fareI got out to Horseshoe Bay, a little after fiveFrom a table in the corner, I heard familiar voices rise

Chorus

[3] Both spirits they ran high that night, old stories we did shareOf the days when we were younger men, and never had a careAnd the beer flowed like a river, and we drank the keg near drySo we drained down all our glasses, and were thirsty byandby

Chorus

[4] Park Royal Hotel, the Rusty Gull, Square Rigger and Queen's CrossWe started off with eight good boys, but half had gotten lostAnd you'll never keep the lads together, when their eyes begin to roveAnd there was just the three of us that made it to Deep Cove

Chorus

[5] We arrived out at The Raven, just in time for the last callThe final destination of this the first annual crawlWe dug deep into our pockets; there was no money to be found, hahNine miles home and for walking we are bound

Chorus (repeat a capella then outro)

Background: A great drinking song by Spirit of the West from their 1986 “Tripping Up The Stairs” album. Several of the pubs mentioned are still around – the Troller, the Rusty Gull, Queen’s Cross and the Raven.

54

Aunt Martha’s Sheep

[1] Come gather all around me and I'll sing to you a tale,About the boys in Carmanville who almost went to jail.It happened on a November's night when all hands were asleep,We crept up over Joe Tulk's hill and stole Aunt Martha's sheep.

[2] Now if you pay attention I know I'll make you laugh,They never went to steal the sheep, they went to steal the calf.The old cow she got angry 'cause they woke her from her sleep,We couldn't take any chances so we had to steal the sheep.

[3] We caught the wooly animal and dragged her from her pen,She says goodbye to the little lamb she'd never see again.She knew that those dark strangers soon would take her life,In less than half an hour she felt that dreadful knife.

[4] Aunt Martha she got angry when she heard about the loss,She said she'd catch the robbers no matter what the cost.Next morning just at sunrise she to the office went,And to the R.C.M.P. a telegram she sent.

[5] The Mountie got the message and started in to read,This is from Aunt Martha telling of an awful deed.Last night my sheep was stolen by whom I cannot tell,I'd like for you to catch them all and take them off to jail.

[6] Just a short time later about twelve o'clock that night,We had the sheep a'cooking and everyone feeling tight.The smell of mutton and onions no man could ask for more,We were chugaluggin' Dominion when a Mountie walked in the door.

[7] He said sorry boys, your party I really don't mean to wreck.I smelled the meat a'cookin' and I had to come in and check.You see a sheep was stolen and the thief is on the loose.I said come right in and join us, sir, we're having a piece of moose.

[8] He said thanks a lot and he sat right down and I gave him a piece of the sheep.This is the finest piece of moose I knows I ever eat.About two o'clock in the morning he bid us all goodday,If we get any clues on the sheep, sir, we'll phone you right away.

[9] He said thanks a lot, you're a darn fine bunch, and your promise I know you'll keep.And if everyone was as good as you she wouldn't have lost her sheep.After he left we had the piece we had in the oven to roast,We might have stole the sheep, boys, but the Mountie ate the most.

Background: a song written by Ellis Coles and performed by Dick Nolan. It was primarily viewed as a slight on theRCMP, the police force for the province of Newfoundland and Labradour. The song got airplay in the 1970s, but less after that. Released in 1972 it became one of Dick Nolan's signature songs and is pretty well known amongstthe kitchen party scene.

55

The Parting Glass

[1] O’ all the money that e’er I hadI spent it in good companyAnd all the harm that I ever didAlas! It was to none but meAnd all I’ve done for want of witTo mem’ry now I can’t recallSo fill to me the parting glassGood night and joy be with you all

[2] If I had money enough to spend,And leisure time to sit awhileThere is a fair maid in this townThat sorely has my heart beguiledHer rosy cheeks and ruby lipsI own she has my heart in thrallSo fill to me the parting glassGood night and joy be with you all

[3] O’ all the comrades that e’er I hadThey’re sorry for my going awayAnd all the sweethearts that e’er I hadThey’d wish me one more day to stayBut since it falls unto my lot,That I should rise and you should not,I gently rise and softly callGood night, and joy be with you all

"The Parting Glass" is a very popular Irish song with an interesting history. Today many recordings are available and for me the best is still the one by the Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem from 1959, which is printed here.

The song belongs to a family of songs that can be traced back to the early 17th century in Scotland. The very firstevidence for a song with the title "Good Night And God Be With You" is a tune in the so-called Skene Manuscripts, an important collection of music compiled in the 1620s or 1630s. Another version printed in 1650 shows that some elements of “The Parting Glass” lyrics are already in place. Components are also found in writings by Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns.

The earliest known precursor of the modern “The Parting Glass” is from the early 19 th century by an anonymous Scottish street poet, in which much of the final structure can be found (in particular the occurrence of the term “parting glass”) although the song is still entitled “Good Night and Joy Be With You All”.

The song starts appearing in Irish texts in the 1830s, still as “Good Night and Joy Be With You All”. A decade or so later a version was published as “The Parting Glass” that had a chorus and a fourth verse that has since dropped into disuse.

The melody used by the Irish version is taken from “Sweet Cootehill Town” and “The Peacock”, although it is not certain whether the melody had been applied prior to its migration to Ireland. The modern version of "The Parting Glass" - without the refrain and the additional verses but with this particular melody – was printed for the very firsttime in Colm O Lochlainn's Irish Street Ballads in 1939 and is almost identical to the version by Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.

56

Galway Girl

[1] Well, I took a stroll on the old Long Walk of a dayIayIayI met a little girl and we stopped to talk on a fine soft dayIayAnd I ask you friend, what's a fella to do'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blueAnd I knew right then, I'd be takin' a whirl'Round the Salthill Prom with a Galway girl

[2] We were halfway there when the rain came down of a dayIayIayAnd she asked me up to her flat downtown, of a fine soft dayIayAnd I ask you friend, what's a fella to do'Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blueSo I took her hand and I gave her a twirlAnd I lost my heart to a Galway girl

[3] When I woke up I was all alone ...With a broken heart and a ticket home ...And I ask you now, tell me what would you doIf her hair was black and her eyes were blueI've travelled around, I've been all over this worldBoys I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway girl

"Galway Girl" is a song written by Steve Earle and recorded with Irish musician Sharon Shannon originally as "The Galway Girl". It was featured on Earle's 2000 album Transcendental Blues. "The Galway Girl" tells the semi-autobiographical story of the songwriter's reaction to a beautiful black-haired blue-eyed girl he meets in Galway, Ireland. Local references include Salthill and The Long Walk.

A cover version of the song by Mundy and Sharon Shannon reached number one and became the most downloaded song of 2008 in Ireland, and has gone on to become the eighth highest selling single in Irish chart history. It has been subject of a great number of covers and live interpretations.

57

Fisherman’s Blues

[1] I wish I was a fisherman tumbling on the seasFar away from dry land and it's bitter memoriesCasting out my sweet line with abandonment and loveNo ceiling bearing down on me save the starry sky aboveWith light in my head, with you in my arms

[2] I wish I was the brakeman on a hurtling fevered trainCrashing head long into the heartland like a cannon in the rainWith the feeling of the sleepers and the burning of the coalCounting the towns flashing by and a night that's full of soulWith light in my head, with you in my arms

[3] And I know I will be loosened from the bonds that hold me fastAnd the chains all around me will fall away at lastAnd on that grand and fateful day I will take thee in my handI will ride on a train I will be the fishermanWith light in my head, with you in my arms

Outro: With light in my head with you in my arms

Background: Fisherman’s Blues is a song written and recorded by The Waterboys in 1988 that reached third place on Billboard's Modern Rock chart. The song was used on the pilot episode of the TV series Lights Out, andhas appeared on the soundtracks of the movies Good Will Hunting, Waking Ned Devine, and Dream with the Fishes. Actress Emilia Clarke performed a cover version for the film Dom Hemingway. It was also recorded by theYoung Dubliners and numerous other celtic rock artists.

58

The River Driver

Note: Sing a capella with bodhran accompaniment, solo verse and harmony chorus

[1] I was just the age of sixteen when I first went on the drive,After six months hard labour, at home I did arrive.I courted with a pretty girl, ‘twas her caused me to roam,Now I'm just a river driver and I'm far away from home.

ChorusI'll eat when I am hungry and I'll drink when I am dry,Get drunk whenever I'm ready, get sober by and by,And if this river don't drown me, it's down I'll mean to roam,For I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home.

[2] I'll build a lonesome castle upon some mountain high,Where she can sit and view me as I go passing byWhere she can sit and view me as I go marching on, For I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home.

Chorus

[3] When I am old and feeble and in my sickness lie,Just wrap me up in a blanket and lay me down to dieJust get a little bluebird to sing for me alone,For I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home.

Chorus

Repeat Chorus (repeat last line)

Background: “The River Driver” is a song in the public domain about the river drivers in Newfoundland that was recorded by Great Big Sea on their album “The Hard and the Easy”. River drivers, also known as “log drivers” or “river pigs”, ensured that logs drifted freely along the river. The drivers typically divided into two groups. The moreexperienced and nimble men comprised the "jam" crew or "beat" crew. They watched the spots where logs were likely to jam, and when a jam started, tried to get to it quickly and dislodge the key logs before many logs stacked up. If they didn't, the river would keep piling on more logs, forming a partial dam which could raise the water level.Millions of board feet of lumber could back up for miles upriver, requiring weeks to break up, with some lumber possibly lost if it was shoved far enough into the shallows. So when the jam crew saw a jam start, they rushed to it and tried to break it up, using peaveys and possibly dynamite. This job required some understanding of physics,strong muscles, and extreme agility. The jam crew was an exceedingly dangerous occupation, with the drivers standing on the moving logs and running from one to another. Many drivers lost their lives by falling and being crushed by the logs.

Each crew was accompanied by an experienced boss often selected for his fighting skills to control the strong and reckless men of his team. The overall drive was controlled by the "walking boss" who moved from place to place to coordinate the various teams to keep logs moving past problem spots. Stalling a drive near a saloon often created a cascade of drunken personnel problems.

A larger group of less experienced men brought up the rear, pushing along the straggler logs that were stuck on the banks and in trees. They spent more time wading in icy water than balancing on moving logs. They were called the "rear crew." Other men worked with them from the bank, pushing logs away with pike poles. Others worked with horses and oxen to pull in the logs that had strayed furthest out into the flats.

59

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